But the real form of journaling in our current society is blogging. Millions of blogs are out there, some with a business focus, but most are just personal stories, insights, trials, and victories. This is the stuff that we used to want to hide and put where no one could ever read. But now blogging has taken the journal and diary into a new realm of social networking. This is raising an interesting question about the mental health benefits involved in blogging vs journaling. Are people able to truly be as open as they would in a journal for an audience, does this matter, does having other people read, respond, and relate to our material create a kind of catharsis?

A recent study has looked at the therapeutic benefits of blogging, and in fact, yes there is a significant increase in personal contentment and “happiness” from blogging. You can check out their results at “Can Blogging Make You Happier“. A major finding is that communicating our inner desires and sharing about our life with the public actually increases our sense of social integration. That by blogging and having people comment and care about what we write, we feel more bonding with our readers. And I am going to project that this creates a better bond with ourselves and what we ended up writing about. Feelings of security and contentedness can come directly from a feeling of social acceptance, as well from this traditionally useful method for getting one’s thoughts down and organized.

Whether you choose to write in a journal, or take it upon yourself to write a blog, both of these projects have significant therapeutic benefits. This may explain very simply the boom of personal blogs and the continued facination both with blogging as a writer and as a reader. So if you are not - start writing, and no matter what, you’re bound to feel better.

We are very excited to being working more with non-profits and the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund is a great organization to start with. Check them out at www.FallenHeroesFund.org to see all the amazing work they have done. They focus on supporting the men and women of the Armed Forces and their families raising millions of dollars to support families of lost and wounded military veterans with a significant emphasis on mental health help.

Our campaign with them is two fold. From twitter, for anyone who re-tweets our message about this charity, we donate $5 to the IFHF capped at $600 for the week. The second part is for anyone who has a session with a Talk Life therapist and replies to @TalkLife about it, we will donate $10 with no cap!

Help support our veterans and join us in spreading the word about the Fallen Heroes Fund!

Come check us out, snoop around, tell us what you think. And more importantly tell everyone else you know to come and take a look-see. Shout it on high, send out emails, we want to spread the knowledge that there is a new way for people to access the kind of help many of us need, but don’t have the time or desire to get in the traditional manner. We are live at www.TalkLife.com. We are very excited to show our work to the world and have pretty big plans for this little website. Everything from partnering with non-profits, educational organizations, women’s groups, and veterans associations to building out a large library of home grown video and print articles all geared towards helping people get answers to their mental health questions. Plus we have a few surprises in the works that you all will hear about soon as they develop.

In the mean time, I hope you are all as excited about whatever it is you are doing, as we are about this!

PS - It is 6:00 am as I am writing this, and no I did not just wake up either…

There have been several studies about this topic starting in 2000 and with the most recent published in 2008. This recent study shows that phone therapy is an effective means of reducing depressive symptoms. And perhaps a more compelling finding that comes from this study is that attrition rates are much lower that in face to face therapy. 7.6% vs 46.9% to be exact. This is a huge difference. Here is a good article summing up the study found on CBS News called Phone Psychotherapy: Fewer Hang-Ups?.

Now I am not someone who participated in the study, or someone that could be called an expert on mental health trends, but I will give you my thoughts on why there is such a drastic difference. I think it is simple really, its all about convenience. Phone therapy can be done at any time, from anywhere, at a moments notice without any “prep” time. To go meet your face-face therapist, you have to find the right time, hope that nothing gets in the way, drive both ways, etc.

For many people dealing with stressful work, families and kids, or anyone with a busy life in general, this can and will cause complications at some point in the therapeutic relationships and people will being to cancel appointments, and then stop completely. Now while phone counseling cannot solve all of this, it can much more easily be moved or rescheduled. Parents no longer have to find a sitter for the kids, and people can even take 30 min during their lunch break to call in about what is stressing them out. This can create the possibility of a very different, but perhaps more flexible relationship with a therapist that is not always confined to a once per week, one hour couch session.

So much of our world is changing so that people expect any information, service, product, or entertainment to be immediate. Even waiting for a movie to load for 30 seconds feels unacceptable, and many people simply move on. I feel that many traditional service industries should really think about this fact, and the way normal people expect to receive information as it is very different than even 5 years ago. Mental health is no exception.

I have had the pleasure of talking with several authors of the above mentioned study, as well as many, many therapists who have worked with their clients over the phone, and they all find it to be a useful tool. It is exciting for me to see that the possibility for a shift in this industry is apparent. Will phone therapy replace traditional face to face? I sincerely doubt it; there is something special that comes with being in the same space and connecting with someone actually present. But does it need to? Absolutely not. Phone therapy serves a purpose as an effective tool for specific needs, whether it is helping people with access issues, overcoming barriers of getting to an office, sheer convenience, or a stepping stone into other useful venues for mental health improvement.

But what really struck me was a couple paragraphs from an article talking about MHA from the Health News Digest:

In any given year, over 60 million adult Americans have a mental health condition and twenty percent of children have a mental health condition serious enough to hinder their ability to learn. Mental health and substance abuse problems are among the most chronic and disabling of all medical conditions, driving up health costs and destroying employee productivity and school achievement. People with serious mental illnesses die on average 25 years earlier than the rest of the population.

But over two-thirds of adults and over one-half of children with a diagnosable mental health condition do not receive the treatment and services they need. Yet, these conditions are just as treatable as other medical conditions like cancer, diabetes and heart disease. Decades of rigorous scientific work have shown that mental illnesses are diseases of the brain and therefore can be reliably diagnosed and effectively treated. Recovery is not only possible, but likely.

This last paragraph is so important and promotes the same values that Jeff and I feel is so instrumental in how we see Talk Life actually improving peoples lives. So many people, too many to consider this a “problem that will never affect me”. And yet so many of us do not seek help. When we ask ourselves if we would go see a doctor to treat, or even for just check up on heart disease because it runs in the family, it seems like a normal and common sensical thing to do. Why then are so many of us adverse to looking for help for the times we are depressed, or anxious, or overstressed? Everyone knows exactly the times I am talking about, but we all pretend they don’t exist, and some of us even go so far as to not ever be willing to talk to those closest to us about our problems.

But mental health is just a peice of health and wellness. When we realize this we can all hopefully begin to feel comfortable working through our emotional pains, just as our physical pains, to lead a happier and healthier life. And while this is happening, we will be there to provide more avenues for people to access that help in the most comfortable, and safe manner possible.

I decided to get myself into a scheduled, full body workout routine.  This wouldn’t be the first time, I’ve had two gym memberships, and equipment in my home, but I have yet to follow through more than literally a few days.

I’m making this post for two reasons, one is to share my motivation, and two, for accountability to the family and friends that read this because I know you’ll be asking!

I’m not overweight or especially skinny, in fact most people would say I’m in shape.  I eat fairly well, and I do get outside and hike / bike mainly in summer.  But I spend so much of my time sitting in front of the computer or sitting hanging out that I find I have less motivation than I wish I had, and suffer from mild depression partially because I am not active.

According to an article at fitness.gov,

[Results from six studies done in the 1990s indicate] exercise was significantly related to a reduction in anxiety. These effects ranged from “small” to “moderate” in size and were consistent for trait, state, and psychophysiological measures of anxiety.

A quick google search confirms many more articles and studies point to the same results.  But it makes sense.  Evolution and biology suggest that our brains crave experiences.  Whether this is traveling to a new place, reading and learning, or exercising, we are rewarded chemically.  Some theories suggest that the more rewards we get the more addicted we get, meaning we’re more likely to be motivated to learn, travel, and exercise.

So I have taken it upon myself to “self-medicate” with some regular straight up exercise.  And it does make a huge difference. I’m only a week in, and I have much more energy than usual, I’m more motivated, I’m actually developing some muscle definition, and it feels good to be doing something I have set out to do.

Here’s the plan I am working on, I do this three times a week.  Anybody can do this, it’s a variation of a military workout (ie: no machines or even freeweights around):

Week 1: 4×20 Situps, 4×10 Pushups, 4×2 Pullups, Run 1/2 mile
Week 2: 5×20 Situps, 5×15 Pushups, 4×4 Pullups, Run 1 mile
Week 3,4: 5×25 Situps, 5×20 Pushups, 3×6 Pullups, Run 1 mile
Week 5,6: 5×30 Situps, 5×30 Pushups, 4×6 Pullups, Run 1.5 miles
Week 7,8: 6×30 Situps, 6×30 Pushups, 3×10 Pullups, Run 2 miles

Feel free to share your experiences on how becoming active can reduce anxiety / depression, or simply makes you feel good!

I have talked a fair amount about this especially within the veterans community. But it is just as strong within the general population, especially people just dealing with life’s obstacles on a daily basis, be it stresses at work, relationships, or the financial situation. But for many of us, seeking therapy or even admitting that we could use some help, becomes almost an admission that we are not good enough, or worse yet, that we are crazy.

Our philosphy has always been that mental health is really a misnomer. It creates a separation between health and wellness and this whole aspect of emotional stability. Of course there are many of us dealing with very serious mental disorders that require medical care. But to think of even the most severe cases as strictly a mental health issue is to miss the point. Out mental health is very much tied into our physical health, which are both tied into our overall health and wellness. Really it almost comes down to how do we become and maintain a level of contentment and happiness. We have always thought of maintaining mental health, whether through meditation, talking to a therapist, or whatever, as the same as getting a check-up with a doctor, or a teeth cleaning at a dentist, or even talking monthly with a financial adviser. If we can all begin to think this way about mental health, as just another path to ensure a happy and healthy life, the stigma suddenly vanishes.

We all know we are dealing with the same issues, harships, and pain. Let’s get over being ashamed of that and work towards a healthy life.

Seek advice from a therapist! Whether from Talk Life via anonymous phone counseling, or face-face with a recommended professional.

Excercise! Movement creates a chemical reaction stimulating an emotional reaction to help improve your mood and outlook on life.

Do both of these things as they will help. But now on to a list of other valuable pieces of advice I have found.

1. Think Positive. If you catch yourself having a lot of negative thoughts, “Talk BACK” to them by writing down balanced, realistic responses. Practice saying these to yourself instead.

2. When you feel that everyone else knows better than you, try to realize that the opposite is true, you know quite a bit more than other people on certain topics - and they know quite a bot more than you on others. When you have depression, you tend to feel that if you make one mistake or don’t know much about one particular subject, then you’re an absolute hopeless failure. That’s not the case. Your opinions and judgments hold as much water as anyone else’s.

3. Spotting. This is when you notice your symptoms of your mental illness and can recognize that you are not going insane, or the sky is not falling — you are just having symptoms. This all helps you to calm down and get a better perspective in how to handle daily activities (called “trivialities” in Recovery-speak)

4. Turn off the TV. Studies show that the time spent engaging with electronic media replace time that would otherwise be spent on social, intellectual, or athletic activities that protect against depression. (And get more sleep besides!)

5. Eat Fish. There are numerous studies about the effects of Omega 3, which is found in fish oils, and how it can act as a mood stabilizer.

6. Place yourself in a natural environment.

Here are some tips from: TNCnet.com

Live plants – Research indicates that the color of green and the fresh oxygen plants give help us in many ways, including raising our alpha brainwaves.

Animals – Research says that even something as simple as fish reduces stress and improves mood. Watching fish swim relaxes the brain and gives people a lift.

Full spectrum light bulbs – Lighting that mimics natural sunlight lifts our mood and helps the body make the minerals and vitamins we need to feel well, such as Vitamin D, which combats depression and increases our energy level.

Personalized work space – Cubicles often reinforce isolation and depression. The more personal items a person brings to the office, the less depressed he or she will be.

Connections to the natural world – Allow for walks in a park, a wooded area, or anyplace outdoors so you can refresh and reconnect with the world.

Healthy food availability – Make sure there are healthy food options available. Nutritious foods are essential for energy, mental functioning, and overall health.

7. Smile. Forcing yourself to smile even when you don’t want to or feel like it can help tremendously. Research has shown that when your face is pulled into a smile, it makes you feel happier.

8. Patience. One of the worst things about depression can be the feeling that nothing will ever improve. Try to remember that no matter what happens, your situation now is unlikely to be the same in a year from now. Even though it sometimes happens very slowly, change always happens. That’s one of the best and worst things about life is that nothing ever stays the same, neither good nor bad so we have to make the most of the good times and ride out the bad.

9. Try to take it easy. Excess working and stress are major contributors to depressed feelings. Take a little time to yourself now and then to do what makes you happy and not worry for even 30 minutes about paying the bills and the rest of the world.

10. Reach out to others in need. Studies show depressed people tend to feel less sorry for themselves when they comfort others who suffer from grief and tragedy.

Are you or someone you know dealing with depression? What are some of the ways you or they have found to cope and grow through and with it?

Here is the full text, or you can click the link above!

Tahoe Startup Scraps Nationwide Launch, Focuses on California
January 30, 2009

First-time entrepreneurs Eric Shaw and Jeff Vogt were gaining momentum last year in an effort to get investors excited about their Web-based startup. They say the concept behind Talk Life LLC, which connects mental health professionals with patients for phone-based therapy sessions, was favorably received.

But right about the time the young duo were ready to seek more than $1 million in capital, the financial markets seized up. On top of that they had an impressive 400-page business plan for a nationwide operation with therapists available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. But there was one problem: the operation had yet to realize any revenue whatsoever.

Investors balked.

Instead of giving up, Shaw and Vogt changed strategies, went lean and sought small injections of cash from friends and family, surviving on what little savings they had and racking up credit card debt. They did all of the groundwork themselves, like Vogt developing, coding and testing the software for their Website. “We changed our model completely, from a large scale national launch to a small, bootstrapped approach in California only,” says Shaw, CEO of Talk Life, based in Incline Village, Nevada. “Over the past three to four months we have re-envisioned every piece of our business to be successful with almost no budget.”

Bank loans, venture capital, private investment and even revenue all are scarce today, but a few determined entrepreneurs still will manage to get off the ground. Talk Life may or may not after its planned launch in February, but its strategy may prove inspirational to others who find themselves in a similar bind.

Talk Life has to date contracted with a stable of 35 affiliated therapists throughout California. The founders plan to grow the business organically (i.e., slowly and on a shoestring budget), but they are hopeful that a tangible proof of concept and positive cash flow eventually will encourage nervous investors to get behind them.

A Simple Concept
Shaw and Vogt, who previously worked together at a Seattle-based employee benefits company, came up with the idea for Talk Life after concluding that people don’t often get the counseling or therapy they need, either out of fear or inconvenience. The original plan was to offer therapy via online chat, but they discovered that telephone sessions were much more effective.

So instead of trying to find a time to visit a therapist, prospective patients can go onto Talk Life’s Web site, find the appropriate professional through its search function, and get help right away.

Talk Life also is geared toward those who are too scared to open up with someone in person, says Dr. Lisa Cooney, Talk Life’s medical director, a licensed marriage and family therapist based in San Francisco. “The standard of care is excellent, as if they were coming into the office. So the smart business model is retaining the soul of therapy over the phone,” Cooney says, pointing out that this is not necessarily a replacement for traditional therapy and may serve some patients better than others. “For some people, it’s going to be easier to call up instead of looking a therapist in the face.”

Service will be billed in 15-minute increments, but must be paid out-of-pocket. Patients—or customers—may file claims with their insurance carriers, but Shaw says most insurers do not yet cover telephone-based therapy. Talk Life therapists will be encouraged to make referrals for patients reluctant to pay full price for ongoing therapy, and the company anticipates that a portion of its customers will use the service as a stepping stone to more traditional formats.

In a world where people are more and more isolated and often reluctant to reach out for help, the anonymity of on-demand, telephone-based therapy may give some people hope, says William Crookston, a professor of clinical entrepreneurship at the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business. But he identifies a few weak points. “It will have a low barrier to entry,” says Crookston, addressing the possibility that similar outfits will copy Talk Life’s business model. “Also, you can give bad advice and hurt people. And will the individual therapist want to go direct and ace out the intermediary?”

Shaw says the affiliated therapists are contractors and therefore personally liable for malpractice or other legal actions, although Talk Life also will have its own liability insurance as an extra layer of protection. With respect to therapists doing business with clients behind Talk Life’s back, the contract forbids such activity, Shaw says, but leaves enough flexibility to allow therapists to take on patients in a face-to-face setting where appropriate.

Searching For Cash
Shaw and Vogt (the company’s chief technology officer) originally conceived Talk Life as a nationwide service. They knew how to make it work, Shaw says, but it would have required a lot of upfront investment to conform to the regulations of all 50 states and ramp up its marketing on a nationwide scale. They also wanted to create a network of therapists that would be able to serve most customers 24/7, which would require extensive recruiting efforts, and they considered adding chat groups and other online features that take substantial resources to develop.

Business consultant and seasoned executive David Talon, who mentored the pair, even suggested early on that Talk Life begin small and then expand. “I asked them if it might be better to start out small, but they resisted at first,” says Talon, also based in Incline Village, who does business under the name iGrowth Strategies. “It’s that lure of starting a big company. They wondered if anyone would want to invest in something that small.”

Talon says the freshman entrepreneurs look younger than their 24 years, making the search for financing even more difficult. Even in better times most venture capitalists will not invest in a founding team without a track record whose business has yet to generate revenue. Talon served as Talk Life’s CEO for short time, hoping it would help in the vetting process, but VCs—and eventually banks, after the crisis hit—balked.

An angel investment company offered $20,000 in exchange for 20% of the company, but Shaw and Vogt decided that was not a fair trade. Ultimately, they were able to raise about $15,000 from family members and friends, “which has kept us alive and able to pay our attorneys,” Vogt says.

Forging A New Path
The turning point came at a venture capital summit last September, when the economy really started to sour, Shaw recalls. They were told point blank that they had a great business plan but would not be able to secure VC funding. The risk appetite for unproven ventures simply had evaporated. “The competition for the funding was more about how they can help us grow, rather than helping us get started,” Shaw says. “It was our big mistake, because we spent all of our time forging ahead with our business plan—we should have done more execution to get that proof of concept.” Vogt explains how their 400-page document outlining the company’s potential revenue flow just didn’t cut it, especially without actual money coming in. “It is grim,” Crookston says, about fundraising in today’s economy. “So how do you go out with a brand new company with no tangible sales results and come up with an investment pitch?”

That’s the million-dollar question. But instead of forcing the issue, they decided last November that they would have to go small first in order to make it work. So they put the brakes on their planning and fundraising efforts—although currently they are pursuing a $5,000 microloan—and started “doing” instead, Vogt says. They will instead start by focusing just on California, and by excluding some of the originally planned bells and whistles, they reduced their attorney fees and other related costs.

“When we do get bigger, we’ll have more knowledge under our belt to know what to do,” Shaw says. “And since we’ll have a profitable business, we’ll get a better valuation. I wish we’d known this six months ago.”
But in the great tradition of entrepreneurship, the path to success is riddled with trials and tribulations. And soon Shaw and Vogt will know if their business plan is a model for success.

California Executive © 2009 Providence Publications, LLC All Rights Reserved. - Patents Pending

But unfortunately, I have read too many stories where the veteran was not able to get the help he or she needed from the government and country that they served. This needs to be one of the new administration’s primary goals as we cannot afford to lose the life of a soldier, especially after they have been brought home safely. The problem here as I see it is two-fold as addressed in the article. The first is around access, the government needs to help provide all returning veterans access to help in whatever form is necessary, including mental healthcare service to active and deployed soldiers. For returning veterans, this involves helping them find care that is appropriate and more importantly easily taken advantage of. Almost half of the returning veterans are coming home to rural areas with limited access to high-quality mental health care. The VA needs to provide them with the same level of access as someone returning home to New York or LA.

The second problem is a much greater problem and needs more than money thrown at it to find a resolution. Military personnel as a group have been documented to feel the most stigma and shame for seeking mental health help. In an environment where any sign of weakness is a deadly flaw, admitting a vulnerability and seeking help is a hard step for many returning vets. This nation needs to educate our servicemen and women about mental health and we need to change the attitude of everyone in this country to make people realize how important our mental wellness is to our overall health. And until that can happen, which is a major undertaking, we need to be able to provide more stigma free or anonymous enviroments where veterans can get much needed help without such a strain.

If you are involved with any groups or assciations working towards any of these goals with veterans let us know either in the comments or just contact us. Talk Life would love to be involved and help.